Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is, to say the least, controversial. And now he’s on the cover of Time magazine. He has his detractors, sure, but it’s not hard to figure out where Time comes down: They’re standing with Rahm.

You can get away with almost anything if you’re attacking teachers’ unions in the corporate media. New York Times columnist Joe Nocera (9/11/12) explains that while the so-called “reform” movement hasn’t come up with the right answers on schools: On the other hand, the status quo, which is what the Chicago teachers want, is clearly unacceptable. In Chicago, about 60 percent of public school students graduate from high school. A Washington Post editorial (9/11/12): The administration has championed reforms much like those the Chicago local is fighting. And with good reason: A scandalously low 56 percent of Chicago students graduate […]

Labor actions like the current strike by the Chicago Teachers Union usually involves two sides presenting very different takes on the important issues that separate them. The New York Times story on the strike (9/10/12) by Monica Davey gives a fairly comprehensive account of what the school district thinks about its offers to the union. But the union’s side of the story is hard to find. The Times calls it “a dispute over wages, job security and teacher evaluations.” That isn’t false, but that framing makes it seem like teachers are looking to protect a narrow set of interests. If you […]